Killing / Fiesta, 1980
8 February, 2012
Fatherhood
Today, family is one of the most sacred values we share in the individualist society we live in. Every family is different and has different rules and values; but in most of them, fathers are supposed to be leaders of the family, and role models for their children. They are also considerate like the one who transmits the traditions of their ancestors in order to carry them on. “Fiesta, 1980” is a short story written by Junot Dìaz taken from his short story collection, Drown, (1996). “Killings” is also a short story taken from, Finding a Girl in America (1980), written by Andre Dubus. Both of these stories are dealing with the family’s subject and provide us different perspectives of it. In Dìaz’s story we can see the relationship among a foreigner family, while in Andre Dubus’s story we see an American average family. In both stories, fathers play an important role; they figure prominently and have a considerable impact on their family but on the story also. The father in Dubus’s story is more family oriented that the one in Dìaz’; moreover the family is more closely–knit in Dubus’s story than in Dìaz’s story. The difference between the behaviors of the two fathers can be explained by their cultural backgrounds, which are not the same. These stories also provide us another perspective of the father’s role in the family, through their strength and their weakness without compromise.
In the story written by Dubus, Matt Flower, the main character symbolizes the loving father. He was very protective of his children when they were younger: “He had always been a fearful father: when his children were young, at the start of each summer he thought of them drowning in a pond or the sea, and he was relieved when he came home in the evenings and they were there; usually that relief was his only acknowledgement of
Fatherhood
Today, family is one of the most sacred values we share in the individualist society we live in. Every family is different and has different rules and values; but in most of them, fathers are supposed to be leaders of the family, and role models for their children. They are also considerate like the one who transmits the traditions of their ancestors in order to carry them on. “Fiesta, 1980” is a short story written by Junot Dìaz taken from his short story collection, Drown, (1996). “Killings” is also a short story taken from, Finding a Girl in America (1980), written by Andre Dubus. Both of these stories are dealing with the family’s subject and provide us different perspectives of it. In Dìaz’s story we can see the relationship among a foreigner family, while in Andre Dubus’s story we see an American average family. In both stories, fathers play an important role; they figure prominently and have a considerable impact on their family but on the story also. The father in Dubus’s story is more family oriented that the one in Dìaz’; moreover the family is more closely–knit in Dubus’s story than in Dìaz’s story. The difference between the behaviors of the two fathers can be explained by their cultural backgrounds, which are not the same. These stories also provide us another perspective of the father’s role in the family, through their strength and their weakness without compromise.
In the story written by Dubus, Matt Flower, the main character symbolizes the loving father. He was very protective of his children when they were younger: “He had always been a fearful father: when his children were young, at the start of each summer he thought of them drowning in a pond or the sea, and he was relieved when he came home in the evenings and they were there; usually that relief was his only acknowledgement of
Cited: Dìaz, Junot. “Fiesta, 1980.” The Compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 9th ed. Michael Meyer. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. 150-159. Print. Dubus, Andre. “Killings.” The compact Bedford Introduction to Literature. 9th ed. Michael Meyer. Boston/New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012. 96-108. Print.